Source: Office of United States Attorneys
RENO – Three individuals were sentenced Tuesday for their involvement in a drug trafficking organization to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in Reno. They all participated in multiple drug buys involving pounds of methamphetamine for thousands of dollars, totaling over 33 kilograms of methamphetamine distributed into Reno.
Saul Nolasco (25), of Lodi, California, and Maria Valenzuela (64) and Xochitl Sanchez-Pacheco (38), both of Sinaloa, Mexico, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. United States District Judge Miranda M. Du sentenced Nolasco to 41 months in prison; Valenzuela to 33 months in prison, and Sanchez-Pacheco to 30 months in prison.
According to court documents and admissions made in court, from January 20, 2023 to October 8, 2023, Nolasco, Valenzuela, and Sanchez-Pacheco conspired together to distribute 33 kilograms of methamphetamine into the Reno community. Methamphetamine is a Schedule II controlled substance.
Nolasco worked with his brother who was located in Mexico. Nolasco acted as the drug trafficking organization’s boots on the ground in Nevada and California. He collected and handled cash payments; obtained and stored large quantities of methamphetamine at his house; and distributed large quantities of methamphetamine to various buyers in Reno and elsewhere.
Valenzuela conducted multiple drug transactions involving pounds of methamphetamine, where she was responsible for the delivery of methamphetamine as well as the collection of cash payments of thousands of dollars behalf of the drug trafficking organization. In November 2023, Valenzuela was caught at the border with her daughter moving 97 pounds of methamphetamine across the U.S.-Mexico border. The van was outfitted with trap compartments used to conceal the drugs.
Sanchez-Pacheco delivered large quantities of methamphetamine in both Reno and Modesto, California. She collected the money associated with those deliveries, one of which involved $5,500.
The fourth co-defendant, Bobby Jo Kissel (54), pleaded guilty in October 2024 and is awaiting sentencing.
Acting United States Attorney Sue Fahami for the District of Nevada and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kevin Adams for the DEA Las Vegas District Office made the announcement.
The DEA investigated the case, along with the Regional Narcotics Unit, Washoe County Sherriff’s Office K-9 Unit, Modesto Police Department, HSI, USMS, Nevada Department of Investigation and Nevada Highway Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Andolyn Johnson prosecuted the case.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
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